Data Lab drafts in industry chiefs to strengthen board

The Data Lab, Scotland’s innovation centre for data science which was recently appointed to lead the development of a new national strategy on artificial intelligence, has strengthened its governance board with the appointment of five new members from industry.

The board, which monitors the organisation’s progress and decides on strategic areas for investment, will be joined by Tesco Bank director of marketing and customer strategy David Shaw; Innovate UK director of AI and data economy Zoe Webster; Aquila Insight founder John Brodie, financial services veteran and non-executive director Dr Helen Brown; and data analytics consultant Grant Smith.

The new members bring with them a wealth of experience in the public, private and charity sectors and will play a significant role in shaping the Data Lab’s future strategy.

In addition to the governance board, the Data Lab has appointed new members to its two other advisory boards, the Innovation Advisory Board and the Skills Advisory Board, which recommend best practice, new innovations and shape strategy.

In October, the Scottish government selected the Data Lab to lead the development of a new national strategy on AI, designed to unlock an additional £13 billion in economic output and drive the use of the technology to improve consumers’ well-being across the country.

Data Lab chief executive Gillian Docherty said: “We are pleased to welcome some of Scotland’s most experienced and well-respected experts in data science and AI to our governance board, as the Data Lab enters a new and exciting phase of leading Scotland’s overall AI strategy.

“Our goal is to fuel innovation through collaboration, something that is mirrored by the range and wealth of experience on our governance board, who are skilled in identifying key areas of growth to unlock Scotland’s potential as a thriving data science community.”

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